Dred Scott v. Sandford (Supreme Court case)

Dred Scott v. Sandford was a landmark 1857 Supreme Court case concerning slavery and citizenship. Dred Scott was an enslaved man who argued he should be free after living in free states. The Court ruled that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be American citizens and therefore had no right to sue in federal court. Additionally, the Court decided that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories. This decision intensified national divisions over slavery, contributing to the Civil War and highlighting the inadequacies of the U.S. legal system regarding slavery and individual rights.